Blog Feed: Developing People

Three Tops Tips to Reduce Workplace Stress

Published on 2012-02-03 06:16:00

Research studies have shown that workplace stress impairs a worker’s ability to function intellectually, emotionally, and in his or her interactions with others. He or she is rendered incapable of meeting the requirements of the job. The following three recommendations to reduce workplace stress are offered as a beginning step: 1. Clarify: Be sure each employee has a job description, and fully > read more

Is leadership different now to 50 years ago?

Published on 2012-01-30 06:34:00

I came across the transcript of a talk given by Field Marshall William Slim about his experiences of leadership at The Seventh Elbourne Memorial Lecture in 1962, and wondered if the essence of leadership had changed much in the past 50 years. For those of you who have not heard of him, Field Marshall Slim was born in 1891, fought in both the First and Second world wars, and was wounded in action > read more

12 Behaviours of Leaders Who Inspire Trust

Published on 2012-01-27 04:53:00

I would like to share with you 12 common behaviours of trusted leaders around the world which build and maintain trust. When you adopt these ways of behaving, it's like making deposits into a "trust account" of another party. 1. Listen first 2. Talk straight 3. Demonstrate respect 4. Create transparency 5. Right any wrongs 6. Show loyalty 7. Deliver results 8. Improve 9. Confront reality 10. > read more

Giving Better Presentations

Published on 2012-01-16 05:37:00

by Mark Evenden @ Developing People Presentations are often quoted as being one of the most feared things that a manager has to do. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. Yes, the first time that you give one you will be very nervous, and in my experience, although the nerves will never go away completely, the more practice you have the more confident you will become. The following are 10 > read more

Management Training - How to Make It Stick!

Published on 2012-01-06 06:44:00

How often have you been on a Management Training course and failed to implement what you were taught? Many organisations struggle with the same issue – there is no point spending time and money on Management Training and Development if the participants don’t put into practice what was learned. But how can you encourage your managers to ACT? The key to ensuring Management Training is successful > read more

Leadership Development and the Sigmoid Curve

Published on 2011-12-20 05:05:00

by Mark Evenden at Developing People International. Charles Handy published a book in 1995 called the ‘Empty Raincoat’ in which he discussed a range of paradoxes and in particular the paradox of the Sigmoid curve and its implications for organisations. In essence, Handy was explaining that all organisations have life cycles (analogous to product life cycles) that are fairly predictable and can > read more

Back to Basics - What IS Leadership Development?

Published on 2011-12-09 05:30:00

by Lucy Cadman @ Developing People Have you ever seen a diamond in its original form? It looks just like a lump of rock (albeit a very slightly sparkly one!), and I for one wouldn’t have a clue what was or what wasn’t a diamond before it goes through the cutting and polishing process that makes it the beautiful stone it becomes. Leadership development is a similar process. It is about moving > read more

Minimising the impact of your ‘weaknesses’ as a leader

Published on 2011-12-05 04:59:00

by Mark Evenden @ Developing People International In my view, great leaders are not successful simply because they are in the right place at the right time. They succeed because they play to their strengths, and they work hard at maximising them. Most great leaders I have worked for have been very conscious of their strengths and have known how to deploy them for their own advantage and for > read more

Gaining Committment from your Employees

Published on 2011-11-25 07:12:00

by Lucy Cadman @ Developing People International It is clear to me that even though the world of business in the UK is facing tough times at the moment, it is no longer feasible for an organisation to demand commitment, motivation and respect from their employees. The range of choice facing people these days is endless – hundreds of different careers are possible, and likewise there are many > read more

Leadership - A Question of Influence

Published on 2011-11-17 05:19:00

by Mark Evenden In essence leadership is about taking others to places they have not been before. However, to lead successfully you also have to influence others to gain their commitment and engagement to the direction you believe is right. Many researchers have pointed out that influence can be seen as working on a number of levels, which I have found as a useful insight when thinking about > read more

Management Training - How to get the promotion you REALLY want!

Published on 2011-06-29 05:20:00

by Mark Evenden at Developing PeopleYou may have recently started out on your career journey and want your first promotion or you may be well on your way but would like a broader or more senior leadership role. Burt how do you go about getting the p > read more

Management Training – What to Focus on?

Published on 2011-06-17 08:17:00

I have worked for many managers who think that they are good at what they do. From the ones who have “got it right” through to the ones that have “got it SO wrong”, they have all had high opinions of their skills! However, according to a poll > read more

Do you want to improve your productivity? Take time off work!

Published on 2011-06-13 05:42:00

by Mark Evenden @ Developing PeopleAre you working long hours? If you are then perhaps it is time to tell your boss that time off work is great for productivity, according to a paper published in the Journal of Applied Psychology by Sonnentag and Fr > read more

Coaching for Performance

Published on 2011-05-27 07:08:00

By Mark Evenden @ Developing People LimitedCoaching can be an extremely powerful way to help managers to improve their performance. A recent study by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) identified that 92% of managers who received coachi > read more

Does coaching suit everyone?

Published on 2011-05-20 07:48:00

by Dave Marchant @ Developing People LimitedAs with most things in life - some it does and some it doesn’t!In my experience as a Coach, if I get the chance to talk to a leader about their role and the issues that they are faced with, then I often > read more

Business Leadership and the Community

Published on 2011-04-28 06:40:00

by Mark Evenden @ Developing People LimitedOver the years I have read many articles that have been written encouraging business leaders to pay more attention to ‘the 3P’s’ in their organisations. In other words puttingPEOPLE beforePRODUCT (or > read more

How is Coaching affected by your personality?

Published on 2011-04-21 07:06:00

We all have our egos, and they can and do have a big impact on how we conduct ourselves, our communications and our relationships. They also influence our attitudes and how we relate to both the outer world and to our inner world of thoughts and feel > read more

Why is coaching often more effective than other forms of training and development?

Published on 2011-04-18 04:32:00

by Mark Evenden @ Developing People LtdWhen discussing the different approaches to leadership development, questions arise over the effectiveness of coaching vs conventional leadership development programmes. It is frequently been suggested to me th > read more

Strong Leadership in Times of Crisis

Published on 2011-04-08 06:44:00

by Lucy Cadman @ Developing PeopleLike many others, I have been shocked and saddened to hear of the death of 25-year-old police officer Ronan Kerr, who was killed after a bomb exploded under his car in Omagh, County Tyrone last Saturday. It is terri > read more

Setting Standards Using Competencies

Published on 2011-04-04 07:44:00

I believe that it is vital that managers and staff know what is expected of them if they are to maximise their own performance and contribution to the business. It is common for most organisations to set expectations in terms of what managers are re > read more

Leadership Development in Further Education

Published on 2011-03-18 06:00:00

As a result of reduced government funding and the pressures of the current economic climate, many further education colleges are facing significant challenges and changes. I envisage that the likely impact of these challenges is that there will be:* > read more

How honest should you be with your boss?

Published on 2011-03-04 04:50:00

I have met many people who dislike their boss intensely. They are often frustrated by the behaviour of their boss, but they don’t say anything, and their boss is oblivious to the subordinate’s feelings. Should honesty be the best policy then? > read more

What are the differences between coaching and training?

Published on 2011-02-25 07:42:00

When you are training someone, the implication is that you know something that they don’t. It is either some information that they don’t yet know about, have access to or understand, or it can be about helping them make the links between differen > read more

Managing Pressure and Stress

Published on 2011-02-22 05:42:00

I noticed on the Health and Safety Executive’s web site that the HSE estimate that in 2009 / 10, 9.8 million working days were lost through work-related stress, which equates to an annual loss of 0.42 days per worker. Indeed, other reports suggest > read more

Putting Your People First ...

Published on 2011-02-11 07:56:00

A number of years ago a colleague mentioned to me that business leaders should pay more attention to ‘the 3P’s’.I was intrigued, was this just another management acronym or was there some substance behind what my colleague was saying?The three > read more

Why Management Development and Training pays off ...

Published on 2011-02-04 06:11:00

by Lucy Cadman @ Developing People Ltd I’ve worked for a number of businesses during my career, including a fair few who have lived in the dark ages when it comes to management development and training – in fact, when it comes to training and de > read more

Talent Management - The Importance of Talent Management

Published on 2011-01-28 08:20:00

I believe that one of the biggest risks facing many organisations is having the right talent to enable them to compete in the future.The reality for many business today is that a large majority of its key executives will probably retire in the next 5 > read more

The Importance of Talent Management

Published on 2011-01-28 07:25:00

I believe that one of the biggest risks facing many organisations is having the right talent to enable them to compete in the future. The reality for many business today is that a large majority of its key executives will probably retire in the next > read more

Improve your effectiveness as a manager

Published on 2011-01-21 07:40:00

In my dim and distant days at University, I was always the queen of taking on everybody else’s problems. A hard-hitting example of this is a girl that I befriended on the internet through a common interest in theatre. She regaled me with stories ab > read more

My views on managing and leading ...

Published on 2011-01-14 08:19:00

by Mark Evenden @ Developing People LimitedHere is a quick exercise for you -- which of the following words and phrases would you associate with management and which ones with leadership?Giving responsibility to others. reporting,monitoring,team-buil > read more

Management Development - Building better working relationships

Published on 2011-01-07 06:15:00

by Lucy Cadman @ Developing People LtdI have said it hundreds of times before, but I am blessed with a manager who has read the rulebook. Not only that, but he puts it into practise daily too!He expresses an interest in my hobbies (despite being a se > read more

Management Development and Training - How do you ensure it is effective?

Published on 2011-01-03 05:16:00

Have you or a colleague attended a management training or development programme but failed to take anything away from it? Does the management training and development you have in your organisation deliver the results you want, or is it just a wast > read more

Management Training and Development - if the hat fits ...

Published on 2010-12-22 05:05:00

Its been nearly a year since I first joined the team at Developing People. Looking back over the year with my manager recently, it was quite a surprise to us both to see how much things have changed and developed since I first arrived here. Mark not > read more

How to make Leadership and Personal Development a priority

Published on 2010-12-20 06:25:00

7 years ago, I worked for one of the major consulting firms who made leadership and personal development a priority. The firm recognised the impact that investing in their consultant’s and manager’s development was a win – win for the firm, as > read more

Management Training – Classroom Learning v Mobile Learning

Published on 2010-12-10 08:03:00

by Lucy Cadman I love gadgets. There, I said it. I am a self-confessed gadget-fan. If it has a screen, buttons and some form of power supply, then I am right there with it. Today is the day when I collect my new Blackberry smartphone from the sho > read more

Leadership Development - Leading and Presenting

Published on 2010-12-03 06:47:00

by Mark Evenden @ Developing People Limited Being a leader requires you to be able stand on your feet, command attention and deliver your message to small or large groups of people. While it sounds straight forward enough, presenting is often cited > read more